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The February Binocular Sky Newsletter is ready. In addition to the usual stuff on DSOs and variable and double stars, this month we have:
Uranus still available
Occultation of δ Cnc
X Oph near maximum
Grazing occultation of 63 Tau (Devon only)
I hope it helps you to enjoy these chilly winter nights.
To pick up your free copy, just head over to http://binocularsky.com and click on the Newsletter tab. You can also subscribe (also free) and have it emailed each month.

I've not yet seen Uranus through my scope and am going to make an effort once the clouds blow away (of course we get a storm the moment I get back into astronomy!). Based on the equipment i have (please see signature) can you all give some tips on how I might have success in this endeavor? Would be much appreciated!

The first Binocular Sky Newsletter of 2019 is ready. In addition to the usual stuff on DSOs and variable and double stars, this month we have:
Uranus still available
Comet 46P/Wirtanen fading
X Oph brightening
Two (difficult) grazing occultations
Here's hoping that 2019 brings us all an abundance of clear, dark skies.
To pick up your free copy, just head over to http://binocularsky.com and click on the Newsletter tab. You can also subscribe (also free) and have it emailed each month.

The raw spectrum image before sky background subtraction. Note as well as the comet spectrum, the bright Na D line from local light pollution and other auroral lines from natural airglow
The coma extended beyond the length of the slit so a separate sky spectrum was recorded and subtracted

The Spectrum of the bright central region is dominated by the scattered light from the sun while the spectrum of the extended coma is mainly emission from excited molecules such as CN (The very bright line in the UV), C3, C2 (The Swan bands which give the coma its blue green colour) and NH2

By removing the emission component from the spectrum of the central region and dividing it by the spectrum of a sunlike star recorded the same evening, the reflectance spectrum of the dust can be extracted

The nights are longest this month, so you'll have plenty of opportunity to see -- and share -- what the sky has to enthrall us with.
(Or, for the pedants among us, "...what the sky has with which to enthrall us." 😄 )
To pick up your free copy, just head over to http://binocularsky.com and click on the Newsletter tab. You can also subscribe (also free) and have it emailed each month.